The Official Fanfiction University of Araluen
by Ranger Turien
Summary: A spinoff of Miss Cam's OFUM set in the world of Ranger's Apprentice. Beware the plot holes, Lusters, Mini-Wargals, and the all-seeing Coordinator, Miss Tori. Insanity ensues, and Canon butchering is punished. You have been warned. Enter at your own Risk.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole Sort Of

The Official Fanfiction University of Araluen (OFUA)

_Authour's note: The Idea for this story was taken from the brilliant Camilla Sandman's Official Fanfiction University of Middle-Earth. I didn't see one for Ranger's Apprentice, and I decided that I'd try my own._

_So, please enjoy it if it's good and tell me if it's cruddy. It most likely won't live up to the OFUM's status or fame, but I hope it's good enough!_

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or the Official Fanfiction University concept. Ranger's Apprentice and anything related to it belongs to John Flanagan, and the OFU concept belongs to Miss Sandman. This story is for enjoyment and not for profit. I am not profiting in any way by it.**_

_**WARNING: Will contain spoilers. And a lot of violence. Sexual content should be limited to kissing and such.**_

**Chapter One**

**Down the Rabbit Hole... Sort Of**

_In the land of Araluen there lived a beautiful princess. Her name was Caranalia. She was tall and elegant, poised and graceful. And she was an excellent archer. She could hit the target right in the middle with her eighty pound longbow from two hundred meters._

_Suffice it to say, Caranalia was an expert. So when she was invited to join the Rangers, she accepted quickly. _

Hannah smiled as she read over what she'd written so far. She sighed. She so wished that she could be like Caranalia.

She looked down at the keyboard and began to type again.

_Caranalia was sixteen years old when she first came to join the rangers. Her skill with the bow and arrows was so good that Halt said she didn't even have to be an apprentice. _

_She went to her first gathering and looked for her boyfriend Will Treaty. _

_But it was not to be, for Will was already in love with Alyss._

Hannah stopped suddenly.

"What?" she asked herself as she read the last sentence, "Did I write that?"

She frowned.

She started to type again, but a message popped up on her screen.

"_Access denied until you have passed."_

She blinked. This was all very confusing. She'd just been ready to write about her self-insert's love for Will when this had happened.

Looking down, she spotted a paper on her desk.

"'Official Fanfiction University of Araluen,'" she read. "Sounds... interesting."

She shrugged, glancing over the paper. No doubt a trick from her younger siblings.

_Dear Student,_

_You have been invited to enroll in the Official Fanfiction University of Araluen for a period of two semesters. During that time you will learn the basics of writing fanfiction based off of the Rangers and their friends. You will also learn from personal experience. We have many excellent teachers this year, including, but not limited to, Halt O'Carrick, Jenny Dalby, Will Treaty, Horace Altman, Alyss Mainwaring, and Erak Starfollower. You'll learn the basic skills of a ranger as well as many others from all over the world. Please expect, along with difficult academics, that you will be put through many, many physical tests and training, so be prepared to be a bit sore and tired. If you do well enough at the end of the year, you will receive a certification stating that you are permitted to write Ranger's Apprentice fanfiction. And you will return home._

_We look forward to having you here this year at the OFUA, and we hope that this year shall be a good learning experience._

_Sincerely,_

_Miss Tori and the OFUA Staff_

Hannah rolled her eyes. This was definitely her brother and sister. Definitely. They knew about her ranger obsession, and made fun of it constantly.

She shrugged.

"Why not? I'll just humor them."

So she began to fill out the form.

_Name: Hannah Embrey_

_Age: Sixteen_

_Gender: Female_

_Favorite Ranger: Will_

The form was fairly basic. Until she got further down.

_Describe your experience with archery:_

Hannah shrugged. Why not match her self-insert?

_I can hit the bullseye from two hundred meters with my eighty pound longbow._

After all, why would it matter if it was the truth or not? In real life, Hannah had very rarely shot a bow, only a few kids' compounds at summer camp. And she'd never hit the bulls eye.

She continued filling it out and set it back on the desk, not knowing what exactly her older brother would do with it when he found it.

She went to change into her pyjamas and brushed her teeth to get ready for bed.

As she slipped into the bed, she cast a glance at her desk. Much to her surprise, the paper had mysteriously vanished.

_Carl couldn't have gotten in here while I was in the bathroom, right?_ she asked herself.

"Probably," she yawned, turning off her lamp and closing her eyes. She was tired. She'd just finished school and was ready for the summer break, but first she had some sleep to catch up on.

0o0o0o0

Hannah awoke slowly to an unfamiliar sound.

She frowned in her state of half-consciousness. She lived in New York City. Why on earth would she be hearing hoof beats?

Maybe she was still half inside her dream, she thought. She'd been dreaming, of course, about rangers, especially Will.

Then, she realized that the hoof beats were thumping in her head as well.

Somewhat afraid to look, she tentatively opened one eye. She realized that she was staring at the ground, an occasional hoof flashing across the field of her vision.

_That explains why I feel like all my blood has rushed to my head... because it has._

Wait... what?

Hannah opened her other eye. Why on earth would she be on a horse?

Slowly, she began to sit up.

She found herself hanging over the saddle of a horse so that she wouldn't fall off, surrounded by various things along the lines of packs and bedrolls. Dully, she recognized her own suitcase.

She grunted as she levered herself up to a seated position. Ahead of her was another horse, attached to hers by a lead line, moving at a brisk trot.

She saw its rider and screamed. Loudly.

He was wearing a green-and-grey mottled Ranger cloak.

Then she realized that she was actually riding a horse.

She screamed again.

0o0o0o0

**First chapter done. This was an introduction, just a trial to see how many people read it. It's my first OFU, and I hope it's not terrible.**

**Anyway, for all those who don't know how the OFU's work, any RA fans, male or female, can join it. Just fill out a form, yes, the same one Hannah did. Your OC will be fictionalized and added to the students. But, I must warn you, be careful what you wish for. The OFUA runs on the concept of 'Learning Through Pain.' **

**There will be much (literal) OC bashing.**

**THE OFFICIAL FANFICTION UNIVERSITY OF ARALUEN**

_Dear Student,_

_You have been invited to enroll in the Official Fanfiction University of Araluen for a period of two semesters. During that time you will learn the basics of writing fanfiction based off of the Rangers and their friends. You will also learn from personal experience. We have many excellent teachers this year, including, but not limited to, Halt O'Carrick, Jenny Dalby, Will Treaty, Horace Altman, Alyss Mainwaring, and Erak Starfollower. You'll learn the basic skills of a ranger as well as many others from all over the world. Please expect, along with difficult academics, that you will be put through many, many physical tests and training, so be prepared to be a bit sore and tired. If you do well enough at the end of the year, you will receive a certification stating that you are permitted to write Ranger's Apprentice fanfiction. And you will return home._

_We look forward to having you here this year at the OFUA, and we hope that this year shall be a good learning experience._

_Sincerely,_

_Miss Tori and the OFUA Staff_

**OFUA ENROLLMENT FORM:**

**~Please fill out the ENTIRE form~**

**BASIC INFORMATION**

**Name:**

**Age:**

**Gender:**

**Race:**

**Favorite Character:**

**Is he/she your Lust Object?**

**APPEARANCE**

**Hair:**

**Eyes:**

**Height:**

**Build:**

**PERSONALITY**

**General Personality:**

**Background:**

**Fears/Phobias:**

**REALISTIC strengths:**

**OTHER**

**What type of Fanfic do you usually write?**

**Do you write romance?**

**If yes, what Pairing do you usually write?**

**Experience in archery:**

**Experience in Horseback riding:**

**Experience with knives:**

**Silent movement skills?**

**Other skills:**

_**I hereby authorize this content to be used and viewed by the staff, coordinator, and headmaster of the OFUA.**_

_**Signed:**_

_**0o0o0o0**_

Any and all enrollments accepted!

Also, if anyone has found and RA badfics, please tell me about them so I can use ideas from them later on in this story!

See you later,

Luthien


	2. Orientation And Will

The Official Fanfiction University of Araluen (OFUA)

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or the Official Fanfiction University concept. Ranger's Apprentice and anything related to it belongs to John Flanagan, and the OFU concept belongs to Miss Sandman. This story is for enjoyment and not for profit. I am not profiting in any way by it.**_

**Chapter Two**

**Orientation... And Will...**

"They're here," Gilan whispered, leaning close to Will.

Halt's former apprentices sat stiffly in the chairs that lined the back wall of the auditorium.

Will seemed to be barely repressing the urge to run away.

"Maybe it won't be as bad as it was last year," Gilan told him hopefully, as much to reassure himself as it was to reassure his friend.

Will shook his head. "Don't think so," he said.

And so they waited.

0o0o0o0

Hannah's fears were quieted when she realized that the horse wasn't going to buck her off and that she'd most likely been sitting on it for several hours without that happening.

She noticed that the ranger on the horse in front of her had barely flinched at her scream, and she frowned, wondering if he had earplugs.

_Wait a minute. Why am I even thinking that? There's no reason for me to believe this is even real. It's probably some sort of freakish dream._

Her horse stumbled, and she went forward, her stomach striking the saddle bow.

It hurt.

And Hannah realized that you didn't hurt when you were dreaming.

_Maybe not. But there's no way that this is real!_

Hannah sighed. Then she brightened. If this, by some impossible, strange, odd, weird, unlikely chance, _was_ real, then she was in Araluen! She was going to be there for _two semesters! _

And, best of all, she'd meet Will in real life.

_Oh my gosh I hope he likes me! _

She was now a bit giddy and didn't realize that the horse had stopped.

"Miss Embrey?" came a voice from below her, jerking her out of her reverie.

She looked down to see the Ranger who'd brought her there.

"Uuuuuhhhh..." she said, not knowing exactly what to say.

Fortunately, she was spared the thinking that her slow brain was reluctant to begin.

"We're here, Miss Embrey," the Ranger told her. "It's time to go in for orientation."

Hannah shook her head a few times to get rid of the sleepy fog in her brain.

"Orientation?" she thought, confused. "Oh, right. That."

She started to dismount, and did so rather clumsily, falling into an undignified heap on the ground.

The Ranger seemed to take in breath sharply.

Hannah looked up, scrambling to her feet, and glanced ahead.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened to nearly twice their size.

Before her was a massive gate made of stone and iron, and beyond that a castle rose up. Not a palace, but a fortress, made entirely of hewn stone blocks, with battlements and towers, and with a banner fluttering from the peak of the tallest of those towers.

Around the castle, but still inside the gates, were acres upon acres of forest, grassland, and rivers, though Hannah could only see the tops of the trees from outside of the gates.

"Whoa," she managed. "This place is awesome, isn't it?"

She didn't get an answer. Her Ranger escort had already disappeared.

Slowly, she made her way toward the gates, which were open. It would be tough to get them open once they'd been closed and locked, she mused as she looked at them.

She continued to make her way up the path to the doors of the castle, above which was a wooden sign which said 'The Official Fanfiction University of Araluen.'

She gazed up at the doorway as she passed under it, into the castle's courtyard.

She met a guard on her way in, who handed her a slip of paper and pointed her towards the auditorium. The slip of paper had a number on it: 38.

Hannah shrugged and walked off in the direction the guard pointed her in.

Surprisingly, the University looked quite a bit like a normal school, if you ignored the stone walls and the torches. It looked a lot like the hallway back home at school.

Hannah stopped at a doorway. The room inside was quite large, and the massive oak double doors were swung open. Because of that, she decided that this must be the auditorium. Also, the large sign above the door which read clearly 'Auditorium' gave it away.

She went inside, looking around curiously.

It was even larger than it had looked before, she thought. There were rows of seats, and a wide aisle down the middle. There was a raised platform at the far end, complete with a curtain.

"Take a seat, Miss," a guard, who'd been standing at the doorway, said to her.

She made to sit at the closest, but he stopped her.

"The one that matches the number on your card."

Hannah glanced down at her slip of paper. "Oh," she said, making her way up.

It took a while before she found seat 38. There were quite a few seats, to put it lightly, and she had to check each of the rows.

But, at last, she found it.

She slid into the seat and looked up at the platform. Near the front of it was a podium. Hanging on the front of the podium was a coat-of-arms, obviously of the University.

At the back of the platform was a row of chairs. In each of them sat various characters from the books.

Hannah's eyes widened as she recognized each one.

_This can't be real... this can't be real..._

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the one she'd dreamed of every night.

_Oh my gosh..._

Hannah was fairly sure she was going to pass out when a woman rose from her seat and stepped up to the podium. Hannah was so focused on Will—and some of those near her were fairly sure she was drooling—that she didn't notice the woman until she began to speak.

"Good morning, students," she greeted, all businesslike and chipper.

Hannah started, tearing her eyes away from her Lust Object. She turned to see the woman at the podium.

This woman was in her twenties, she thought, fairly average looking overall. She was a brunette, with a slight copper tinge to her hair, which was pulled back in a tight French Braid at the back of her head. Her skin was olive and her eyes dark brown, and she was not too thin, but not heavy; not tall, and not short. She dressed in a fairly simple blouse and skirt, complete with dark brown leather boots.

She didn't seem to be threatening or commanding at all to Hannah's eyes.

"I am glad to formally welcome you to the Official Fanfiction University of Araluen. I am the Coordinator here, Miss Tori. Now, there are a few things we must go over before you go to your rooms. First of all, you are here for learning, not leisure. I expect no laziness on the part of anyone."

The word 'anyone' was accented sharply by a resounding slap that caused all of the students in the auditorium to jump.

Hannah looked for the source of the slap, and saw that it came from a riding crop that Miss Tori held firmly in one hand. She'd evidently brought it down on the podium.

"Second, I am Miss Tori, and nothing else. You may not call me 'Miss,' 'Ma'am,' or, heaven forbid, 'Tori' or 'Madam Coordinator.'"

She glanced around the room, watching the students' heads nod in understanding and agreement.

"And, lastly," she leaned forward a bit, glaring at them.

Hannah felt a bit nervous at her strange behavior.

"No stampedes."

She spoke the words ominously, and Hannah thought she could sense a tension go through the row of characters behind her.

Miss Tori straightened. "Do we have that clear? Good," she said to them, not waiting for an answer. "Now, a list of rules will be found in the booklets that can be found underneath each of your seats, as well as a map of the University—which, I might add, shows the location of your dormitories, and tells you which areas are off limits—and your schedule for this semester. Mind you, the list of rules is not exhaustive. There will be many, many more, I feel, as the semester progresses."

The students were now reaching for their booklets, which they found beneath their chairs.

Hannah began to flip hers open.

"Wait until Orientation is finished. The booklets are not going anywhere," Miss Tori said, a bit harshly.

Hannah shut hers, startled.

Miss Tori cleared her throat, and then continued.

"I expect that all of the rules will be followed. Now, I do not think that I need to introduce our illustrious staff to you, for you should already know them."

She put heavy emphasis on the word _should._

_Of course I know them!_ Hannah thought to herself, a bit indignantly. _There's Will, and Halt, and Will, and Gilan, and Will..._

"And, I believe that is all. You are dismissed, and, good luck!"

Miss Tori began to step down, and, as an afterthought, added one more thing.

"You'll need it."

0o0o0o0

_To Be Continued..._

**I am still offering the enrollment, so if anyone wants to enroll, just fill out the form. You have been warned, though.**

_Farewell for now,_

_Luthien_


End file.
